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I remember seeing some posts on how to remove rust from steel tool parts, but I can't find them now.
I have a table saw that has surface rust & I need to remove it.
I seem to remember something about using green scrubbie pads & some kind of lubricant to remove the rust.
I already know about Boeshield, but there were other things involved.
Can someone help me out there?
Thanks for reading.
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A block of wood, 220 grit sand paper, a little elbow grease and 2 or 3 coats Johnson's paste wax will do it. Johnson's paste wax is a lot less expensive than Bioshield and to me provides good protection. Remember, the table top is a "work surface" and not a dinner plate therefore it doesn't need to highly polished.
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I've always used WD-40 as a lubricant for removing rust and am satisfied with the results.
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johndi said:
I've always used WD-40 as a lubricant for removing rust and am satisfied with the results.
This^^ Works on mouse dribbles.
I Johnson's after a day for evaporation and paper towel wipe.
Better to follow the leader than the pack. Less to step in.
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Yeah, but what do you use to actually remove the rust?
Steel wool? Green scrubbie pads? Something else?
I'd rather not sand it with abrasive paper if at all possible.
I thought I read somewhere someone used a propane torch for something, but maybe it wasn't for rust removal.
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We 40 and scotch rite for rust removal. Just remember scotch rite is very abrasive more abrasive than the sand paper...
There was a comment in something from GM once stating that scotch rite is the roughest thing known to man kind... They were advising not to use it to clean engine parts as the small specs that are left behind circulate through the engine and wear parts at a prodigious rate.
You can use the wet dry paper with any light oil like wd40 as well and it will give you nice straight lines in the cast iron but it's slower than scotch Brite as it will cut slower and it doesn't clear the rust as fast because the grit is so fine.
I use paste wax for the tip coat. If you put it on rust it'll be a pita to try to get the rust off as the wax does not carry away the rust. If the rust is a little heavy a scrape down with a razor blade takes off quite a bit of the loose stuff.
If you don't want to use anything abrasive on it then you are into the chemical removal and it isn't as effective and it will discolor the vast iron . Navel jelly which is a thick paste of phosphoric acid works but is slow and darkens the metal but it doesn't actually remove the rust it turns it into iron phosphate.
Then you are onto the stronger acids which isn't really an option.
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Herb G said:
Yeah, but what do you use to actually remove the rust?
Steel wool? Green scrubbie pads? Something else?
I'd rather not sand it with abrasive paper if at all possible....
You're just sanding off the rust with the 220 grit paper. You're not sanding heavily enough to remove a significant amount of metal.
The other guys have given you excellent advice on how to remove rust.If you follow it, you'll have success.I've done a lot of rust removal on tools, and I can attest that those methods work.
If there is a lot of rust, it helps to use a razor blade scraper to remove it before sanding. However, that's if you have a rust-caked top. If there is only a little rust, then you can use the 220 grit abrasive paper with a sanding block.
Rick W
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OK, thanks for the help guys.
I appreciate it.
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I've put a green scotch brite pad on my palm sander with a little WD40 and that does a pretty good job, though you may have some staining left behind.
For those that use Johnsons, what's your application method? I feel like it's hard to rub clean, gets kinda sticky... Do I need to wait longer after WD40?
Benny
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Mix 1/4 cup of coarse salt in 1 cup of white vinegar. Apply to table top and remove with a potato that has the end cut off. Slice the dirty end off and rub some more. Light surface rust will easily come off.
I used to have a neighbor who was a chef, he taught me this simple trick.
If the rust is heavier than you had thought, use fine sandpaper instead of the potato ,brushing the vinegar mix on .It helps to leave the vinegar on for 2 or more hours.Only way to do that is either keep flooding the top or dam the edges some way.Small tools that can be immersed in vinegar,no need for salt will usually clean up in a day even if rusted badly.
mike